Let’s Go to Roadhouse! No, Not That One

Kids, you tried your best and you failed miserably. The lesson is never try – Homer Simpson

I was tired and hangry. My friends had just come into town and I had been holding off on eating so that we could all eat together. Two of them were here to get tattoos, so I knew that I was in for at least another 2 hour wait once they arrived. I originally wanted to eat at a restaurant close to the tattoo parlor, but as time passed, I knew that we were cutting it close on time. Instead, I had another friend pick a place that was opened past 11PM. That’s how we landed on College Roadhouse.

Located next to “Rodeo” nightclub, close to the HEB on N. Lamar

My friend had scrolled through a list that she found of restaurants open past 11, and she chose College Roadhouse because she saw “Korean fried chicken” and “karaoke“. I was kind of bummed at the time because I was really looking forward to this other restaurant I had originally picked. I had tried, and I had failed due to time constraints. But that’s life. And what’s funny is that my friend didn’t try really hard and was able to find this hidden gem*.

*For those of you who would like to argue that this isn’t that hidden anymore, I took a sample of 10 friends, and only one of them had ever heard of this place*

That arm had only two pokeballs before this picture was taken – proof that my story checks out

One of the things that hits you when you first walk in is the aesthetic. Checkered ceiling, projector screens with KPop music videos, and cork board walls littered with graffiti from past customers. 75% of our conversations revolved around what people wrote and drew on the walls, and the YouTube music playlist that they had queued up from a computer. It was all so engaging.

Before we dive into the food, I’m going to be honest. I did not come into this restaurant thinking I was going to do a blog post on it. I was really hungry, and as a result, I had tunnel vision when I looked at that menu. Fried chicken was all I could think about once my friend mentioned it, and so that’s what my eyes gravitated towards. One quick Yelp or Instagram search will show you that this place has a lot more to offer than just chicken. That being said, though, let’s get right into it:

Kimchi

You can’t go into a Korean restaurant without ordering some kimchi. You just can’t. Nothing spectacular here,though – they’re not trying to reinvent the wheel – but not a bad way to get your taste buds going.

Waffle Fries

My friend absolutely loved these, but I thought they were alright. The fry on it was honestly a little too heavy for my taste, but it was still a solid waffle fry overall.

Wait, wait, pause. Okay, ATXFoodies, you just built up how this place surprised you in the beginning, and you show us two okay things that you and your friends ordered? I’m unimpressed. Underwhelmed. Okay, my loving audience, I hear you. Just wait for it.

Kimchi fries, chicken drums in sweet soy garlic sauce

Ahh, here we go. The kimchi fries – good. Great combination of sauces on top that add a creamy finish to a crispy fry. This shouldn’t be what you come here for, though. Come here to try the chicken.

The mother cluckin’ chicken.

Do you know that feeling when you first bite into a piece of fried chicken with sauce on it? If you’ve had a good one – and I mean a really good one – it’s the perfect combination of crunchy, crispy, juicy, chickeny goodness. The crunch is somewhere in between a Pluckers chicken tender covered in sauce, and a Gus’s or Lucy’s fried chicken. It’s not TOO crunchy, but it’s also not too soft. If you’ve ever had Korean fried chicken, this isn’t new. But I particularly like the texture you get at College Roadhouse.

When you take that first bite and you get a bit of the meat with a little bit of skin, it’s magical. My mouth is literally watering right now as I try to relive the taste and describe it to you. The chicken was perfectly cooked. It was tender and juicy – not much more you can ask of your fried chicken. And then add in the well balanced sauce. I wasn’t too blown away by the sweet soy garlic, but I definitely recommend the spicy and sweet Korean chili sauce:

Wings with the spicy and sweet Korean chili sauce

It’s not that hot. I would say it’s right under the spice level of your typical buffalo sauce. But it still hits you. I remember distinctly eating each wing, the flavor of the sauce amplifying each time I finished one, and being really disappointed when it all came to an end after my last wing. I didn’t want to drink any water or eat anything else after that because I wanted to remember the flavor of that sauce for as long as possible. The sweet countering the spice – it’s so simple, yet it works so well. I crave this sauce now, and I would definitely order it again.

All in all, a wonderful experience.

We didn’t end up doing karaoke, but there is that option if you pay the price, which if I remember correctly, is $20-30 depending on the day.

Don’t forget to make your way to @ATXFoodiesBlog on Instagram for more hunger inducing food pictures.